


25 Days of Tasertricks

by the_inked_quill



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 25 Days of Tasertricks Challenge, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, tasertricks - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 10:39:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3847813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_inked_quill/pseuds/the_inked_quill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Still WIP, starred chapters are already in existence. </p><p>*Day 1- Mistletoe [Jane F., Thor, Tony] - Loki <br/>*Day 2- Hot Chocolate [Chase] - Darcy<br/>*Day 3 - Snow & Day 6 - Angel [JARVIS, Tony, STRYKER, Steve, Clint, Natasha, Pepper] - Darcy<br/>Day 4- Candy Canes & Day 5 - Christmas Tree [Tony, Fury, Coulson, Thor, Steve, Clint] Darcy- Loki pranks the Avengers (but not Darcy)<br/>Day 7- Pie<br/>Day 8- Tinsel<br/>Day 9- Ice skating<br/>Day 10- Frost<br/>Day 11- Eggnog<br/>Day 12- Cider<br/>Day 13- Peppermint<br/>Day 14- Gingerbread<br/>Day 15- Presents (shopping)<br/>Day 16- Fireplace<br/>Day 17- Stockings/socks<br/>Day 18- Cookies (milk)<br/>Day 19- Santa<br/>Day 20- Sled<br/>Day 21- Snowman<br/>Day 22- Jingle Bells/Sleigh Bells<br/>Day 23- Carols<br/>Day 24- Chestnuts (riddles)<br/>Day 25- Christmas Music/Movies</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1 - Mistletoe

Stepping through the doorway of Tony Stark's penthouse, Loki regarded the festive scene before him. In the large living room, neatly-dressed guests were mingling, cocktails in hand as soft jazz music played in the background. Fairy lights, red velvet bows, and sprigs of greenery peeked out from various corners of the residence. He supposed that the nearly overwhelming theme of red and gold in the room's décor was Stark's idea. The almost garish abundance of decorations was mitigated by their tasteful placement, surely due to that resourceful woman - what was her name again - oh, yes, Pepper Potts. Quite a formidable and capable being, for a Midgardian.

 

As he scanned the room, Loki spotted most of the team of mortals known as "The Avengers." These former enemies of his had proved to be worthy foes and formidable adversaries. His face twisted for a moment as he remembered the chaos of the battle in New York, his own defeat, and subsequent imprisonment in Asgard. Was it worth coming back here, a virtual prisoner, to the realm he once could have ruled?

 

For a moment, Loki wavered before the entrance to the living room. Thor gave him a slight push from behind.

 

"Come now, brother, we would not want to offend our host at this feast he has so graciously prepared for our return!" he encouraged - a bit too enthusiastically, as several heads by the bar had swiveled in their direction. Loki restrained the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. Uninterested in Midgard as he was, Loki at least recognized this celebration as pertaining to a holiday in fact not dissimilar to the Yule feasts held in Asgard.

 

"Thor!" A petite brown-haired woman flew from her perch at a barstool to embrace Thor. "I didn't know you were invited. What a surprise to see you here!" So this must be his Jane, the mortal he so incessantly spoke of. Surprising, indeed, what Thor saw in someone so unassuming, if not her great intellect. But what Loki noticed next was the younger brunette who had gotten up to follow Jane. Her face was striking not for its beauty but for its well-chiseled features, much like Síf, the warrior maid of Asgard. It held a certain attractiveness which, if Loki were to judge, belied a sharp wit and fiery spirit. He was not disappointed.

 

"Whoa, Jane! Don't you think Thor here needs to breathe for a bit?" the younger mortal interrupted. Her chocolate brown curls flounced in the air as she made her way toward them. "And who do we have here?" She turned from speaking to Jane and eyed Loki warily.

 

"Darcy!" Jane hissed in indignation. "We are in public. Please restrain yourself. This is Loki, Thor's brother, who is on Earth by leave of Asgard. Look, I've got to go catch up with Thor. Would you mind showing Loki around this place? And try not to start a war before this party ends." Giving her a gentle shove towards Loki, Jane took Thor's arm and let him lead her away to the bar.

 

"Well, I don't think we've been formally introduced," quipped the mortal called Darcy. "I'm Darcy Lewis, ex-intern with Dr. Jane Foster, new staffer at Stark Industries, and mistress extraordinaire of coffee runs. 'Cause dude, you do a lot of those when you're an intern. Sorry, I'm rambling again. So you're Loki?" She stuck out her right hand. Belatedly, Loki realized that it was a Midgardian custom to shake hands when presented with such a gesture.

 

"Yes, that is my name," Loki returned, giving Darcy's hand a stiff shake. "And before you assume that I came here of my own volition, it was my brother who insisted that I accompany him to this... function." He looked around with a sense of resignation. The rest of the room continued to buzz with conversation, so if anyone had recognized him they had wits enough to remain quiet. Either that or Stark had informed them regarding the nature of his stay on Midgard. The All-Father had seen fit to bind his magic, then confine him on the one realm he despised most, excluding Jötunheim. But no, anger at his fate would not help the public image he wished to project, so he schooled his face into a mask of suavity.

 

"Charmed to make your acquaintance, Milady," Loki continued, dipping low in a mock bow before her. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your acquaintance?"

 

Loki was surprised to hear an unladylike snort emanate from the mortal's - no, Darcy's lips. "Wow, you sure couldn't be any more different than your brother. When he first got here he was all like 'Good! I want another!' when he first had coffee." Loki watched with growing amusement as Darcy mimed drinking a cup of coffee, then smashed it on the ground. "He didn't even bother with introductions when he showed up. Just kinda crashed at our place  - though that was after I tased him." She smiled proudly and produced a silver gun-like object from her purse. "Just don't tell anyone I've got mine on me today - Stark gets kinda annoyed if we bring 'weapons' to his parties."

 

From its appearance, Loki judged that this 'taser' was used in self-defense. He smiled wryly, imagining its effect on his warrior-brute of a brother. "Is that so?" he asked, raising one elegant eyebrow.

 

"Yep - I hit him with it and he was out cold! It was seriously funny, or would have been if Jane wasn't freaking out all over the place." Darcy smiled again, with an infectious laugh which bared lustrous smooth teeth. She had quite a pleasing face, for a mortal. In fact, Loki was surprised that Thor did not prefer her over the plainer-faced Jane. His older brother had always preferred the assertive, spirited women, so he must certainly see something in Jane in order to fancy her so. Loki found himself taking stock of Darcy's festive apparel. An iridescent green garment, paired with a golden belt and distractingly short black skirt, served to highlight her figure and bring out her spirit.

 

"From what I gather, you are quite the wildcat." Loki allowed another rare smile to cross his face. It had been a long time since he had met a woman with such an unrestrained personality, at least one who was willing to speak to him as if he were not a being to be shunned. "Does it not frighten you then, that I was the one who dominated your realm for a time and leveled this city to the ground?" He captured her sapphire eyes in an intense gaze.

 

Darcy shrugged. "I dunno, you seem a lot less scary in person. I mean, when you're not channeling your evil overlord you can actually be almost pleasant. At least you can talk decently, unlike Thor." She suppressed a snigger.

 

"When he was with us in New Mexico one of the first things he did was to go to the pet store. He went up to the counter and was all like 'I need a horse!' And the pet shop guy was like, 'no, we only have dogs, cats and birds.' And guess what Thor said?" This time she could barely contain her mirth.  

 

" 'Then give me one of those large enough to ride.' " Loki watched as she dissolved into laughter. The thought of his brother, never one for subtlety, making a fool of himself in front of a mortal shopkeeper was certainly humorous. He allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch upwards.

 

"That is certainly quite like my brother," Loki responded in a more friendly tone. "He was ever more fond of blows than of words. Even when we were youths in Asgard..." he suddenly stopped mid-sentence at the sight of something hanging over their heads.

 

Mistletoe. A chill washed over him and he tried to choke back the memories that the harmless-looking sprig of greenery had caused to resurface. His younger brother. Baldr the Bright. His father's pride and his mother's joy. How his mother Frigga had dreamt of Baldr's death, and woven potent charms of protection around him. Yet in her haste she had forgotten the humble mistletoe plant. Somehow, this had reached the ears of Loki's jealous young self, whether by gossip or magic he did not know. In a fit of childish pique, he had given an arrow tipped with mistletoe to the blind boy Hoder and guided his arm towards his bright-faced brother. Truly, he recalled only wanting to hurt Baldr, to make him see that he was not the best, but then the arrow had sunk deep into his heart and he was dead, bleeding out over the cold marble floor. It was thus that the guards found them, Loki huddled in a corner and weeping quietly over Baldr's prone body.

 

"Whoa there, you OK?" Darcy's worried voice cut into his memories. "You kinda spaced out there for a bit." She reached over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, then looked up.

"Oh, heh, it's mistletoe. Wait  - is that what put you off?"

 

Loki could only nod slowly. "It brought back some memories of an - unpleasant nature. I do not wish to talk further of this matter." He began to back away from the mistletoe, as if willing it to disappear altogether.

 

“Hey, is this some Asgardian taboo I don’t know about? Please please please I didn’t mean to offend you! I’m so sorry!” Darcy face-palmed. “I knew this wouldn’t end well - I just have the worst way with words, I’m sorry.”

 

“No need to apologize, Darcy.” Loki schooled his features into a mask of calm. Attempting to make conversation would only help to draw his mind away from the dark recesses of memory. “What significance does this plant hold to your people, that it is displayed at such a time of festivity?”

 

“Umm.. I dunno really, I think it was a custom borrowed from the Celts? Something about fertility, though it’s been a while since I took World Religions. Anyways, it’s just become a silly thing people do at Christmas.” He was perplexed as she regarded him with a shy glance.

 

“What thing?”

 

“Umm… kissing. Under the mistletoe.” Her face began to take on a most attractive rosy hue. “I mean, since you didn’t know, there isn’t any point, but if you want to I’m okay with it, and oh snap I’m rambling again. Sorry, I’ll just get out of here before I say anything else stupid.” She began backing away slowly, almost tripping in her high golden heeled shoes, which Loki noticed made her legs look delectably long.

 

“Darcy,” Loki extended an arm toward her, wondering when had they begun to be to a first-name basis. “If you intend to avoid the mistletoe, you are moving in the wrong direction.” In her haste, Darcy had ended up right under the aforementioned plant, suspended from the ceiling by a golden satin bow.

 

She flailed for a moment, visibly unnerved by the sudden touch on her arm. Loki drew closer to her, unconsciously inhaling her strange mortal perfume. She smelt of winter - of peppermint and chocolate, a fine match to her piquant spirit. Perhaps it would not do to avoid the mistletoe, or the demons from the past which it summoned forth. The present moment was all shining fairy lights and glowing firelight, mirrored in the bright eyes of the mortal woman before him. Loki bent towards her gently and whispered, “Perhaps I am as not averse as you think to this mortal custom of yours.”

 

Inclining her face to his - by Valhalla, her skin felt softer than a rose petal - he brushed his lips against her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Darcy Lewis,” he breathed, with a soft smile on his face. She turned to regard him with a breathless smile that mirrored his.

 

“Merry Christmas to you, Loki,” she responded. “I hope you have more pleasant memories now whenever you think of mistletoe,” Darcy continued with a saucy wink. Hearing a buzz from her phone, she examined the screen, then turned toward the center of the gathering. Looking back at him, she waved her hand in an endearingly hurried manner.“Sorry, Jane’s just texted me and I’ve got to go. See you again sometime?”

 

“Perhaps, Milady,” Loki returned with a playful bow. “I wish you and yours a prosperous Yule season.” This gathering had turned out to be much less pointless than he had expected. For once he had to thank his brother for introducing him to this mortal. This was indeed a most unexpected but pleasant occurrence, and he would not mind becoming acquainted with more Midgardian customs. He turned to gaze once more at the innocuous branch of mistletoe that now heralded hope, and no longer despair.

 

 


	2. Day 2 - Hot Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy introduces Loki to the Midgardian delicacy known as 'hot chocolate.' Unapologetic fluff.

The crisp winter air nipped at Darcy’s cheeks until they were the color of ripe apples. As she opened the door of the cafe, her chunky blue scarf blew over her shoulder in the swirl of air. 

“Morning, Chase,” she saluted the barista. “How’s the day been so far?” 

Chase, a scrawny young college student she had seen at the counter for the past several weeks, smiled sheepishly and adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses. From what she knew about him, he was a few years her junior, since she had just graduated this summer.

“Eh, not bad. Feels more like Christmas with every passing day, ‘specially with all the seasonal drink specials in.” He paused to grab a Sharpie and pad of paper, flicking back an unruly lock of russet brown hair. “What would you like today? Doing coffee runs for the team again?”

Darcy smiled. “Yep. The regular orders for them, and a peppermint hot chocolate for me.” Despite all the time she spent around coffee and coffee-drinkers, she was not an exclusive coffee addict - unlike Jane, who practically lived on the beverage when she was up all night conducting research. Nothing beat a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day, that was for sure.

A bright jingling alerted her to the door opening again. There in the doorway stood Loki, looking sharp as usual in jet black suit and emerald green tie.

“And so, we meet again, Darcy Lewis,” Loki greeted suavely. “I was not aware of your habit of frequenting cafes during this hour.” Darcy tried very hard not to dwell on the remembered flicker of pain which had crossed his face on seeing the mistletoe, or how his lips had felt against her cheek that night at Stark’s party.

“I remember you saying that you wouldn’t mind seeing me again?” Darcy quipped. She took a moment to admire the way Loki’s hair hung like an ebony frame around his face. 

“Tell me, Miss Lewis, what sort of beverages does one order in such an establishment?” Loki’s voice interrupted her from her, ahem, indiscreet admiration of Chase’s back. 

“Well, I’ve got some coffee orders here for my office-mates: a peppermint mocha, one white chocolate latte, and two Americanos. I’m just getting a peppermint hot chocolate.” Seeing the slightly puzzled expression on his face, Darcy paused to consider for a moment. “Wait - don’t tell me you don’t even have hot chocolate on Asgard! I can understand your not having coffee, but no hot chocolate? That would be a major crime. ‘Cause this stuff is seriously awesome.”

“Would you recommend it then, this ‘hot chocolate’ you speak of?” Loki regarded her with a guarded and quizzical look on his face - his insanely chiseled, attractive face with cheekbones so sharp she bet she could cut herself on them. Stop it, Darcy, he’s only some guy you met a few days ago and now you’re totally checking him out? She kicked herself mentally.

“Heck yeah!” Darcy’s enthusiasm for her drink was only increased by seeing Chase hand over her order. She lifted the hot chocolate, cradling it in both her hands like a treasured possession. “This is the ultimate winter drink. Smell it!” She extended the cup toward Loki, a delicious chocolaty odor wafting up from the cup in her hands.

Loki seemed taken back by the sudden intrusion of the fragrance of the drink into his personal space. After a beat of silence, his lips quirked upwards ever so slightly.

“I will not say its odor is not pleasant,” he conceded. Walking up to the counter, he turned to address the barista. “I will have the chocolate drink she ordered, “ he said, indicating Darcy.

“Okay, I’ll get it in just a mo’. Name?” Chase grabbed his Sharpie once more, turning toward the espresso machine. 

Darcy found herself speaking before she could reconsider. “Don’t bother, Chase; just add it to my bill.” She turned to Loki, whose face bore a trace of a scowl. “Take it as my treat for introducing you to hot chocolate. That way, if you end up not liking it, it’ll be my loss, not yours.” She wondered if words had ever spilled out of her mouth that fast. Probably not. 

“You never cease to surprise me, mortal,” Loki returned. They waited in companionable silence for the hot chocolate. When the drink had been handed over, Loki took a careful sip. “It does surpass my meager expectations. For such an insignificant planet, Midgard does produce admirable beverages.” Darcy couldn’t restrain the smile on her face. 

“Dude! That was totally worth it just seeing your expression drinking it. You’ve got to thank me now for introducing you to the best part of winter - hot chocolate!” She took another drink from her cup, but paused when she saw the reflective expression painted on Loki’s face.

“Winter has never held a particularly pleasant association for me, though today I may have found something which will make it better.” He turned towards the door, hot chocolate in hand. “Thank you, Darcy Lewis.”

She could only stand and wave at his retreating figure until she remembered the time. Oh great. She was going to be late to work again. But it was totally worth it, she smiled to herself.


	3. Day 3: Snow and Day 6: Angel

Darcy blearily rubbed her eyes as cheery music blasted from her alarm. _“I’d like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns slowly…”_

Mmph… She flopped over, burying her face in the warm flannel sheets. Reaching out one hand towards her dresser, she groped around until she found the snooze button. Why was it so bright? Ugh… hmmpf - she rolled over to face the window. Cracking open one eye, she saw dazzling white light streaming from behind her blue and beige floral curtains. Wait - was that …?

Darcy managed to stumble across to the window and peer out. The city of New York was blanketed in white. Snow! Darcy, suddenly very awake, did a little jump for joy. It was Saturday, and Saturday meant no work. No work meant playing outside in the snow! Yaaay! She paused for a moment when she realized she had just said that out loud. Glancing at the clock - 6:30 am - she hoped none of the neighbors had heard that.

Humming to herself, Darcy made her way over to the closet. She loved snowy weather - she had been collecting scarves, mittens, and hats since she was a little girl. Now, what to do today? Go to Central Park and make snowmen? Go for a walk and take photos? Go find Jane and poke her until she agreed to a snowball fight? The possibilities were endless. With a satisfied grin, Darcy pulled out her favorite chunky cable-knit sweater. This was shaping up to be the awesomest day ever.

After a quick but tasty breakfast, Darcy called up Jane, but to no avail. She was stuck in the lab, going over data from last night’s test of her new project. Darcy contemplated going over to Stark Tower and poking Tony (she did have the clearance, after all). It would be awesome fun if she could get at least one of the Avengers out into the snow - and hey, her boss/snarky superhero who happened to be her friend loved nothing more than a good fight.

An amazingly snowy walk to the cafe later, Darcy hailed a cab for Avengers Tower. As the car wound through New York’s streets, Darcy gazed in wonder out the window. Snow had blanketed all the Christmas decorations on the shops and buildings, making them look about a hundred times more Christmassy than usual. Hot chocolate in hand, Darcy strode into Stark Tower. Flashing her ID at the receptionist, she proceeded up to Tony’s floor.

“Good morning, Ms. Lewis,” JARVIS intoned. Seriously, she didn’t know whether to love or hate that insufferable British-accented AI that inhabited Tony’s section of the Tower. “What business brings you here?”

“Hey, JARVIS! I’d like to see Tony, if you please.”

“He is currently in his workshop. Please proceed, Ms. Lewis.”

“For the last time, it’s Darcy! You might as well call me that since even Tony does too.” She waved her fist good-naturedly at the ceiling, imagining JARVIS could actually see the gesture. “Well, nevermind. Good day to you too!” With that, the doors opened to Tony’s massive suite of rooms (seriously, his penthouse occupied at least the top two floors in the building).

Tony’s workshop was located several yards down the hall and to the right. She pressed her ID to a small pad near the door. JARVIS’ voice could be heard inside the room informing Tony of her presence, and a moment later the wide metal doors swung open.

“Well hello there,” he beamed at Darcy. “My favorite hacker just dropped by! C’mon in; I’ve just finished my latest prototype, and I want you to test it out! ” He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the metal workbench.

His current project was a sort of mini-bot, about two feet tall and roughly a foot long on either side. Housed in a sleek chrome shell emblazoned with STARK across the sides in bold black lettering - the man seriously had ego issues - this bot had an impressive robotic arm which folded into the side when not in use. Mounted on three sets of wheels which could swivel and propel it over uneven ground, it was a fascinating piece of machinery. What amused Darcy the most, was Tony’s attitude toward his creation. He cooed over it and patted it like a proud father - Iron Man at his best, she thought with a snigger.

“Darcy, meet Stryker, a programmable, remote-controlled bot with a killer mechanical arm.” He gestured to the pedestal it sat on with a flourish.

“Whoa there, Tony, I’m honestly excited about your new stuff, but you don’t expect me to help you run tests on this thing all morning when there’s a foot of snow outside, do you?” Darcy arched an eyebrow, with one arm propped on her hip. “C’mon, you of all people should know how to have fun!” Looking back at Tony, Darcy didn’t know whether to be scared or excited - he had this gleam in his eye that meant he was up to no good.

“Aha! You are a genius, Darce! Instead of testing this baby inside, let’s bring it outside! It has a movable base which I’ve programmed to be motion-stable, and I’ve made it specially tolerant of extreme temperatures, and the arm’s made out of a new low-density polymer that Bruce just synthesized in lab, and Jane’s helping with the motion detectors, and…”

“Hold it with the sciency stuff, Stark, “ Darcy quipped. “You know I’m not much good with any type of engineering beside computer engineering. All I wanna know is if you are up for some good ol’ fun in the snow?”

“Heck yeah, but seriously - do I have to beg you to look at the code when I’ve already hired you? Seriously, since you’re already in IT for Stark Industries I bet I could make you just by issuing an order…” Tony leered at her in a mock-threatening fashion.

“Cut the staring, ‘kay? Or I’ll tell Pepper on you,” Darcy threatened, wagging her finger at him. She sighed deeply for dramatic effect. “Okay, lemme see that code.” Darcy turned to follow Tony as he led her toward a set of monitors. Pulling up the correct screen, he pointed to the code.

“This lil’ section here, it’s given me a bit of trouble. God knows I was always better at welding and designing than I am at programming. Whenever I try to run this part my baby’s arm always jams.” Tony looked at her with his best puppy-dog face. “Fix it, Darce, please?”

Darcy snorted. “‘Course I will, if you stop acting all dramatic-like. Now shut up and move. I need to be able to reach the keyboard if I’m gonna fix this.” Minutes later, Darcy had a new, but most importantly, working implementation keyed into the program, and loaded it back into his so-called “baby”. Tony walked over to the prototype and took it off its pedestal.

“All right, guess little Stryker is ready to go now, aren’t you cutie?” He tapped the bot lightly on the top of its retracted arm. “Yes we are!” Gently removing the bot from the table, he packed it into a sturdy box set on top of a wheeled cart.

“Geez, you’re so cheesy,” Darcy groaned. “Can we just get outside already?” She facepalmed when Tony began adjusting the temperature controls on Stryker and cooing to it softly.

“Wait ‘till you see what this little guy can do,” Tony bragged. “His arm can not only pick up and throw objects, but it can feel them with the touch sensor I’ve built into it. Imagine what he could do in a field of snow!” Tony cackled in glee.

“Wait - is that why you were having me fix code that looked suspiciously like it was making Stryker pick up stuff and shape it into a ball? That plus snow can only mean one thing -” Darcy looked at Tony with delight.

“SNOWBALL FIGHT!” they yelled in unison.

“Sir, do you and Ms. Lewis require assistance?” The obnoxiously British voice of JARVIS rang out in the room.

“No, just lock the workshop after us, thanks,” Tony replied with a shrug. Both wheeling Stryker out of the workshop, Tony and Darcy made for the elevator, intending to take the bot somewhere in the central courtyard.

Once the two reached the ground floor, they were met with rather dubious looks by the receptionist. She must have been new, Darcy mused, as all the past receptionists were well used to her and Stark’s technological shenanigans. Tony gave the confused brunette a wink and a wave before turning toward the side door.

“I’m gonna tell Pepper,” Darcy hissed, punching him good-naturedly in the arm.

“Hey, careful! You’re jostling my little cutie here.” Tony shoved her aside and proceeded to push the cart through the door.

Outside, the central courtyard was blanketed in white. The area reserved for the Avengers’ outdoor training had been cleared of snow, but elsewhere only a flawless white surface remained. In the roped-off area, Steve Rogers was currently practicing with a staff in what Darcy thought looked like a kind of martial arts. It was really weird and kinda funny seeing Captain America doing anything that didn’t involve his shield. Clint and Natasha were sparring, but in a laid-back, friendly way. Tony whispered something in Darcy’s ear with a maniacal grin. Darcy shook her head.

“Nah, not now. Let’s make sure the arm works first.” With a conspiratorial wink at Stark, she reached for the fastenings on Stryker’s box. Once the bot was unpacked and warming up, she snuck a look over at the training area. The two master assassins had finished their bout and were currently standing in a corner with their heads together, whispering about something. Steve (she still wasn’t over how Captain freaking America was here, sometimes) had his back turned to them and seemed to be examining his staff for weak spots.

The little bot gave a slight whirr as its engine came to life. Stark rubbed his hands together like a kid on Christmas day.

“I haven’t told you the best part,” he whispered. “It’s voice-controlled. But right now Stryker only recognizes Daddy’s voice, don’t you little guy?” The bot beeped twice. “See, he responds to his name! Okay, Stryker, forwards!”

“I’m beginning to be creeped out by how attached you are to this thing,” Darcy began but stopped as she watched the bot streak across the snow. “Whoa, that thing is fast - and quiet.”

“Don’t worry, he has a remote, too. That way I don’t have to be yelling at him all the time. I’m thinking of installing a little AI system onto him, like a more basic kind of JARVIS. Won’t that be something!” Tony flipped a switch on the remote and the little bot came whirring back to him. “Now for the main act.” Keying in some commands into the (quite complex) remote, Tony smiled unnervingly.

With the push of a button, Stryker’s mechanical arm shot out and dug into the snow. Scooping up a handful of snow, it molded it into a perfect snowball. Tony pressed another button, and Stryker threw the ball across the field, where it landed with a dull smack - straight into the back of Captain America.

“Hey, cut it Tony, will ya?” Steve turned around and glared at them. He quickly straightened out his scowl when he saw Darcy. “What’s a fine dame like you doing with such a troublemaker?”

“Oh heh, I’m just his little hacker minion who helps him when I feel like it. Nice moves back there, Cap. Wanna join in the fun?” She gestured to the snowy field.

“Well, since you started it,” he said, pointing at Tony, “there’s nothing left for an honorable American to do but dole out some retribution. Prepare yourselves!” Steve ran out into the snow and chucked a snowball at Tony, who was still fiddling with the controls on Stryker’s remote. Steve’s well-aimed missile hit Tony smack in the face. Spluttering and attempting to shake off the snow, Tony growled at Steve,

“Well, this has just begun. Stryker, locate Target A.” The bot’s camera turned in Captain America’s direction and TARGET LOCATED began blinking on the remote’s console. “Fire a snowball at Target A, Stryker.” Efficiently scooping up a handful of snow, Stryker swiveled to follow Steve’s path and launched a snowball at him. Steve got a chestful of snow, and quickly fired his own back. With a whoop, Darcy joined in. She was quick, darting between pillars and shelling snowballs at whatever target she liked - sometimes Steve, who responded with a good-natured grin, or sometimes Tony, who just spluttered and glared.

“Hey, no fair, you guys have all the fun.” Clint’s voice came from the other side of the courtyard. “C’mon Nat, let’s join them!” A well-aimed snowball hit Darcy in the arm. She turned, and both agents were pelting random people with snow, including her. Ducking behind a tree, she took a moment to admire how the two worked in tandem, movements attuned to the other. She would not want to be on the wrong end of this team, for sure. They were a deadly match, dangerous apart but lethal together.

By now, the field was dotted with footprints and areas of scuffed-up snow. Darcy whooped and threw herself into the fray. Sliding, teasing, and flinging snow, she was caught up in the blur of the most epic snowball fight she had witnessed in her life. She could hear Tony’s voice in the background, shouting commands to Stryker. Tony had calibrated the little bot’s aim perfectly, but not all its throws were hits since it was a bit lacking in agility. Still, Stryker lived up to its name, landing numerous hits on all the targets in the courtyard. Steve was whooping like a Boy Scout on holiday, throwing snowballs with a punch. Even Natasha had a rare half-smile on her face as she shadowed Clint around.

Darcy felt a presence behind her, and whipped around to see a green-and-gold clad figure grinning at her.

“Is this what you Midgardians call fun? Let me show you what mischief truly looks like.” He smirked and tossed a snowball in the air, catching and tossing it repeatedly. “I saw your antics and thought you would benefit from a little education in the ways of mischief. Follow me.” Loki laid a hand on her arm and dragged her behind the maple tree growing in a corner. He whispered something to her and pointed at Tony. Darcy snorted and nodded her head. This was going to be awesome.

“Greetings, Man of Iron, may I join your game? “ Loki bowed before Tony, who was gaping wide-eyed at him.

“How the heck did you get on the field? I barely look away for a second and there you are?”

“No magic, my friend, but that of stealth and silence. Long centuries as the Trickster have taught me at least that much.” He pelted Tony with a fistful of snow, then bolted away across the field.

“You little -” Tony ran after him in hot pursuit, dropping Stryker’s remote in his haste. Darcy darted out from behind the tree and grabbed the remote. Wearing a maniacal grin which would have made Loki proud, she keyed in some commands to the console. The message TARGET “S” LOCATED blinked on the screen, and Stryker began to make its way across the field in the direction of Tony and Loki, snowball ready to fire. Aiming the bot was harder than expected, since the two were currently weaving around the field, throwing snow and insults (of hopefully a non-harmful nature) at each other and grinning their faces off. Loki’s eyes held a glint of mischief which she had never seen, a fun-loving spirit which she could only imagine had been his default expression in happier years. His long legs created a slowly-widening gap between himself and Stark.

“Can’t fly so fast without your suit, can you?” Loki taunted, looking over his shoulder.

“No one sasses Iron Man and lives to tell the tale!” Tony bellowed at him.

“Suck it Stark, ‘cuz I just did!” Darcy jammed the controls and sent a snowball flying directly into Tony’s face.

“Ooooh, you’ve just been PWNED! Yeah!” She hooted at Stark’s enraged expression, seeing that his “baby” had just betrayed him. Suddenly Loki was by her side and she impulsively high-fived him. “Hey, I’m surprised that you even knew how to give a high-five.”

“I am not totally ignorant of Midgardian customs,” he replied. “As children in Asgard we had a similar manner of saluting each other.” His eyes widened as he glanced in Stark’s direction and he pulled Darcy to the side quickly. A cold, white blur whizzed past them, landing on the ground with a crunch. Still clasping her in his arms, he moved them until they were behind the tree.

Darcy looked up at him rather awkwardly. “Uhhh, ya know, no snowballs in the vicinity, you can kinda let go now.” Loki released his grip on her so suddenly that she toppled over and slid to the ground.

“I am sorry for any - er - inconvenience I may have caused you, Miss Lewis,” he managed to say.

“Hey, it’s Darcy, remember? And no, that’s totally fine. Anyways, another awesome thing about snow is that you can make snow angels! See?” Lying on a patch of snow, she began to move her arms and legs back and forth to create a snow angel. Loki looked at her with an intent expression and quirked one eyebrow. His silence was beginning to worry her until he lay down beside her and smiled.

“In Asgard we called them snow ravens, though it rarely snowed there.” Darcy could almost not believe her eyes. The absurdity of Loki, a prince of Asgard, practically a god, on his back making snow angels with her just did not compute. Which was why, a few seconds later, when she spotted Loki industriously mimicking her movements in the snow, she burst into giggles.

“What? I do not see what is so funny about this. You were doing it a minute ago,” Loki responded.

“No, it’s just,” she choked out between giggles, “I - I never expected you, of all people, to be making snow angels with me one day. It’s just - so - so funny!” She dissolved into laughter again.

Loki disentangled himself from the snow and rose to his feet. “Cease your laughing and get up, Darcy, so that we may look upon the patterns we have made in the snow.” Darcy gingerly got up, careful not to muss her snow angel.

“Look! Aren’t they pretty? Made by two totally different people, but yet so similar. Two different names for the same thing! I didn’t even know they had these in Asgard.” She smiled at him, taking in how at ease he looked. Not wanting to spoil the moment, she cast her gaze downward toward the snow angels again. There they lay, twin images on the snow-clad ground, heads slightly inclined toward each other, like two messengers of peace. She hoped, at least for Loki’s sake, that the relations between Earth and Asgard would no longer be strained. Perhaps this was a dim flicker of hope that Loki could finally make peace with himself, and with the human race.

“I believe that the beings you call ‘angels’ are similar to the Valkyrjur of Asgard. Your people may know them as ‘Valkyries’. ” Loki’s voice interrupted her musings.

“Yeah, I read about them in Ancient Lit. Seriously, they’re real? Warrior maidens who take the souls of dead soldiers to Valhalla? That sounds like the best life ever.” Darcy looked at him with delight and surprise.

“The truth is much more complicated. They once served Odin, but no longer. Now bereft of their leader, they have - you may call it - disbanded. Any more than that, I am afraid I am not at liberty to tell you.” Loki stroked his chin thoughtfully. “For a mortal, you are surely inquisitive.” Darcy felt a surge of warmth. This was good, right? Loki treating her, a human, as if she weren’t just some insignificant ant that was - oh what were his words - “made to be ruled” ?

Something cold splashed down her back. Whipping around to face the culprit, Darcy came face-to-camera with Stryker. The little bot, following Tony’s voice commands, scooped up another snowball and was about to hit her when Loki dove forwards. He grabbed Stryker by the case and hunted around futilely for a button to power it off. Darcy frantically jabbed the power button on the remote to no avail. Stryker’s wheels whirred and blipped in mid-air, as it was held in Loki’s arms.

“HEY! No one’s messing with my baby! Put. Stryker. Down.” Tony came barreling toward them in full protective-dad mode. Loki, taking the hint, released the robot from his arms. It was inches from hitting the ground before Darcy caught it and set it down gently.

“Gosh Tony, you’re going to be seriously scary once you have kids. Wait till I tell Pepper, that will scare her off,” Darcy quipped as Tony caught up to them. “How come the remote didn’t work?”

“I had Stryker on manual override, so it only accepted my voice commands. Now don’t you ever mess with my bot like that again. Understood?” Tony stared down both culprits.

“Yes, Dad,” Darcy drawled. “We were just having a bit of fun.” She patted Stryker’s case. That little bot was pretty cute - and it had a killer aim at throwing snowballs. She guessed it did have its own kind of charm. Tony glared daggers at Loki, before chucking a snowball in his direction. Loki slipped past it like quicksilver, and flashed Tony a smile.

“It will take more than that to best the Trickster of Asgard,” Loki returned, smirking at a fuming Tony. Just then, the door to Stark Tower opened, and a strawberry blonde woman in a gray wool trench coat, designer denim, and sherpa boots stepped out.

“Well, I think that’s enough excitement for one morning, Tony. JARVIS and I have been busy with lunch - care to join us?” Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, extended a graceful hand toward Darcy, Loki, and the rest of the snowball fight crew.

“Of course, all of you are welcome. Dr. Foster and Thor are already at the table.” Pepper smiled at Darcy. “I hope Tony behaved himself?”

“Only as much as can be expected,” Darcy said wryly. “We did have a killer snowball fight, though. He even brought his latest little bot. Does it ever bother you that he talks to his stuff like they’re his kids or something?”

“Hey, I do not! I’m just reasonably proud of my work,” Tony returned with indignation.

“Now, now, Tony, act your age,” Pepper admonished. “Let’s get going - I made lasagna.”

“Ooo! My favorite! Pep, I love you right now.” Tony grinned. Quickly packing away Stryker, he hoisted its box atop the cart and followed Pepper into the Tower like an eager kid.

“You already do, Tony,” Pepper said indulgently. Darcy and Loki trudged through the snow in the direction of the door, tailed by Steve, Clint, and Natasha.

It had been one amazing morning - first tech-ing with Stark, then snowball fighting Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye, then making snow angels with Loki. Darcy suppressed an incredulous laugh at the last one. Who would have thought that the same Loki lying in the snow with her was the one who had tried to raze this city to the ground? She was not blind to his crimes, but supposed that since he and Asgard were making attempts at peace, she could at least treat him with consideration. No matter how insane, broken, and flat-out homicidal he once was (and still might be), he was a person with a story and a life, same as her. There was no knowing how much of that could be healed, but she could try to help. Isn’t that what Christmas was all about, anyway? Hope for the broken. Forgiveness for the unforgivable. Darcy cast one last glance at the two snow angels lying in the field, now barely visible as smudges on the white earth. Perhaps the message of the angels, “Peace on earth, goodwill…” would be true for Loki’s future as well.


End file.
